206 TRAINING THE TROTTING HORSE. 



sufficient to keep him on the track, and you will not 

 require to keep him a-going too brashly to have a 

 pretty good "work out" for the youngster in that 

 time. 



The longer he is in tlie ring the more work he can 

 take with beneficial results. Increase it gradually, but 

 always keep on the safe side. If you err at all, err in 

 not giving him enough — not enough is far better than 

 too much. Just as soon as a colt is overworked his 

 educational progress not only ceases, but he goes back, 

 and goes back by jumps compared to which his improve- 

 ment is a slow process. If you find you have gone too 

 far, give him a vacation, let him get thoroughly re- 

 freshed, and then begin again at the beginning and go 

 slow. You will readily see how much better it is not 

 to overdo the thing in the first place than to have to 

 o^o back and beo-in all over ao:ain. 



Provided your colt keeps all right, and is well, stout 

 and strong, you can give him this work everv week-day 

 until he is twelve to fourteen months old, about which 

 time you will break him to harness. If he is promis- 

 ing he will by this time have shown you a way of going 

 through the stretches that will remind you of an old- 

 stager on the track, and if you are, as we will presume, 

 a good judge of action and balance you will be able to 

 form a pretty fair idea of what kind of a horse you are 

 going to have. 



As our period of colt-education in the miniature 

 track is identical with part of that at which many 

 trainers work their youngsters b}^ the side of a runner, 

 I may as well here give my reasons for not resorting 

 to that style of education. Some may say that I am 



